surdam



Filed Dec. l, 1928 2 Sheets--Sheet` v INVENToR, Wallace Surdam ATTORNEY.

Patented Sept. 24, 1929 PATENT OFFICE WALLACE SURDAM, OF HOLBROOK, ARIZONA DISTRIBUTING CONVEYER Application filed December 1, 1928.

My invention relates to telegraph oliice equipment and more particularly to a carrier or conveyer device for use on the transmitting operators table in a telegraph oiiice.

In large telegraph oliices, where a considerable number of operators are employed in sending the messages which come in over the receiving counter. the operating room is usually separated from the receiving eliice and thesheets bearing the received messages are sent to the operating room through a pneumatic tube system or similar device.I and are delivered at the desk of a tube attendant.

The tube attendant immediately distributes them, or direct-s their distribution by assistants, to the various transmitting 'operators in their several positions at the table, so as to equalize the work.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a conveyer device whereby the tube attendant, in the operating` room of a telegraph ofliee, may distribute the sheets bearing the messages received for transmission r to the different positions of the operators table without leaving his desk and without the help of assistants.

A further object is to provide a mechanical conveyor for carrying messages and the like which may be mounted on a counter or a longr table.

A further obyiect is to provide a distributingl conveyer whereby messages and the like may be delivered at di Herent positions along a counter' or table.

Other objects and advantages will anioear hereinafter'. and while I show herewith and will describe a preferred form ot' construction, I desire it to be understood that I do not limit my invention to such preferred form but that various changes and. adaptations may be made therein without departin from the spirit of my invention as hereinafter claimed.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form a part thereof,

Fig. l is a plan view of a telegraph. operators table of live positions, l I (i a conriiwdv invew tion Serial No. 323,104.

Fig. Q is a front view, in elevation, of the table and conveyer as shown in Fig. l.

Fig. 3 is a fragment-ary plan View of a tube attendants desk and the delivery end of a pneumatic tube carrier system leading thereto.

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the desk and tube parts shown in Fig. 3.

F is an enlarged right end view of the operators table and conveyer device shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged front side view of a segment of the lower track section and one of the cars or carriers running thereon.

Fig. 7 is a right end view of the track seg- 65 ment and ear shown in Fig. 6, this being also the front end view of the car.

Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view, further enlarged, of the car shown in Figs.

6 and 7 the section being taken on line 8-8 70 of Fig. 7. y

Fig. 9 is an under side view of the ear shown in Fig. 8.

Fig. 10 is a rear side view somewhat reduced of the car shown in Fig. 6, just after having made the turn onto the upper track section and about to have its restoring lever operated by the restoring post.

Considering the drawings more in detail it will be seen that my conveyer device consists, in general, of a supporting framework l5 adapted to be mounted on a table or counter and a train of connected cars or carriers 16, one for each operators position, adapted to travel in a four-rail endless track system 17 85 which is attached to the supnorting frame. The train is adapted to be pulled around the track system b v a small engine E equipped with a motor (not showni of the type used for running tov trains by electric power taken yfrom a lighting circuit. The power connections, excepting the eXtra rail in the trac-k system, have been omitted, as unnecessary, because of their well known features.

Supporting frame 1 5 consists of a series of 95 regularly spaced uprights 18 attached to the fable top 19 and having overhanging' arms 20 formed on their 'upper ends. A loi 'ediate arms 22,

.d relation to each other, are secured to each upright 18. The two outer rails 23 are attachedto arms 2() and 2l and the two inner rails 24 are attached to arms 22. rlrack system 17 thus 't'ormed is vertically disposed having a straight upper section 25, a straight lower section 26, a leift end down-turn section 2'? and a right end up-turn section 28. A third inner rail 29, adapted to supply electrical current to the engine, is attached to arms 22 between inner rails 24 and is insulated Vtrom said arms 22 in the usual way.

The engine E and each car C is provided with eight wheels 30 adapted to run on rails 23 and 24, four on each of the two pairs, in such a manner that they are securely held within the track system, between the our rails. Each car or carrier is made in the form of a rectangular box-like body 8l, open at the top and provided with a loose bottom section or door 32., hinged at the front end as at 38. The wheels 30 are attached to the sides oi the body. A transversely disposed lever 34 with a tripping arm 35 projecting beyond the front side and a restoring arm 3G projecting beyond the rear side of the car body, is pivotally att-ached at approximately its middle point, as at 37 to the under side or" a fixed bottom section 38 provided at the rear end of the car, adjacent the tree end or' door 32. Tripping arm 35, of lever 34, is provided with a. retaining lug 39 adapted to slip under the free end ot' door 82, so as to hold it closed until the lever is actuated to release it. A stop lip 40, adapted to serve as a door stop is fixed on the upper side of bottom seetion 38 of the car body.

riripping arms 35, of levers 34, on the several cars in tie train, are made of unequal length, that on the front car ot the train being the shortest and that of each succeeding car being a triiie longer than that oi' the preceding one. Restoring arms 36 ot levers 34 are ot equal length on all the cars. Stop shoulders 4l, adapted to limit the swing of lever 34, are 'termed on each side of the car by cutting away that portion ot the body sides which project below bottom` section 38.

A supporting bar 42 is lined to lower arms 2l oil the supportingl trame, directly under the 'trent outer rail 23 or lower section 26 ot' the track system and posts 43 are attached to bar 42 in such a manner that they extend upwardly therefrom into the path of tripping arms 85, there being one post at each operator-s position. Each successive post, from the first to the last positions, is offset 'from front rail 23 a trii'le further than the preceeding one, in accordance with the differing lengths ot tripping arms 35, each post being thus adapted to operate the tripping arm of a dili'erent ear. A restoring post 44 is hxed, on arm 2O ot the end support, adjacent end section i 28 oi the track' system,

so as to project downwardly into the path of restoring arms rlhe engine E and the several cars Cl, C, C3, C4 and C5 are connected together by links 45 pivotally attached to lugs 4G fixed on the ends thereof, thus forming a flexible train adapted to travel continuously around the track system. Receiving baskets lll, B2, B3, B* and B5 are placed on the table directly under lower section 26 o'i'' the track system, at correspondingoperators positions, each basket being placed adjacent and in advance of the post 43 at that position.

rlfhe operators positions and corresponding cars having been numbered as indicated in Figs. l and 2, the operation of my distributing conveyor may be described as follows: he sheets bearing the telegrams to be transmitted, which have been delivered through the pneumatic tubo 47 into the receiving basket 48, at the tube uttendants desk 49, are removed by the tube attendant and dropped into one o't tbe cars C1 to C5 as the train enters lower section 26 of the track sys-- tem and moves toward the far end ot' the table. it the operator at position l, :t'or instance, is to handle the telegram the sheet is dropped into C1 and as this car passes post 43 or' position l, arm 35 on C1 is tripped by contact with it, so that lever 34 is swung into the position indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 9. The free end ot' door 32, being released by the withdrawal of lug 39 from under it, swings downwardly by its own weight and permits the sheet to iall into basket B1. As

the train proceeds on its course and C1 turns upwardly in end section 28, door 32 closes automatically and, as @l becomes inverted in upper section 25, restoring arm 36 of lever 34 makes contact with restoring post 44 which swings it back into the retaining position shown in full lines in F ig. 9.

Each of the several cars in the train operates in the same way to deliver sheets at a particular position, ior, though all the tripping arms are operated in the course of each circuit of the train, the arrangement is such that none of them can be operated before it has reached its proper position. Vhile l have shown equipment for a table ot only lire positions, by way of illustration, it is evident that my distributing conveyor is espocially `useitul in large oilices having operators tables with many more positions.

Having thus illustra-ted and described my invention, I claim: l

l. A distributing` conveyor tor telegraph oiiices comprising a framework adapted to be mounted on a table top; a four-rail track system iXed to said framework; Aa train of connected carriers mounted in said track system so as to run continuously therein; a hinged door in the bottom of each carrier of said train; means for holding said doors closed until each ot said carriers has reached lli 5 a certain position of the table, and means for operating said holding means to permit said doors to swing downwardly when said carriers have arrived at their proper positions. 2. A distributing conveyer for telegraph offices comprising a framework adapted to be mounted on a table top; an endless fourrail track system fixed to said framework so as to be vertically disposed in spaced relation to the table top; a train of open carriers mounted in said track system so as t0 run continuously therein; a downwardly opening door in the bot-tom of each of said carriers, said door being hinged at its front end; a lever under the rear end of each of said carriers adapted to hold said door closed; a series of posts fixed to said framework at spaced positions along the track system, said posts correspondingl in number to said carriers and levers and each post of the series being adapted to trip a different one of said levers, so as to release one of said doors and permit it to open, and a restoring post fixed to said framework so as to restore said levers to their holding positions.

3. In combination with a telegraph operators table having a multiplicity of positions, a framework mounted on the table top; a four-rail endless track system fixed to said 3 framework so as to be vertically disposed in spaced relation to the table top; a train of connected carriers, equal in number to the table positions, mounted in said track system, said train being adapted to travel continuously therein; a door in the bottom of each of said carriers, hinged at the front end thereof; a lever under the rear end of each of said carriers adapted to hold said door closed; means iixed to said framework at each table position for tripping said lever of the carrier for that position, and means fixed to said framework for restoring all of said levers to their holding positions.

4. In a conveyer system for telegraph offices, an endless four-rail, vertically disposed track system; a connected train of open earriers mounted in said track system and adapted to be driven therein continuously; a door in the bottom of each of said carriers hinged at the front end thereof; a level' under the rear end of each of said carriers adapted to hold said door closed; a series of posts, corresponding in number to said carriers, each adapted to trip said lever of a different carrier and thus to permit its door to open downwardly, anda restoring post adapted to restore said levers of all said carriers to their holding positions.

WALLACE SURDAM. 

